So you've gotten off the upgrade treadmill, but you're still a little jealous of all those people getting the new iPhone 5. Or maybe your Galaxy S II doesn't feel as shiny when the new Galaxy S III is making big waves. This weekend, take some time to clean up your old phone and make it feel like new.

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Clean Up the Outside

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Let's start with the outside. If you're nice to your phone, it's probably gotten just a little wear and tear around the edges. If not, it probably looks like it got run over by a truck. There isn't a lot you can do about that, but you can make sure your screen and buttons are clean and shiny, and replace any parts that are truly broken. Heck, even a 10-year old can fix an smartphone screen for $22, so you know it won't be hard. Alternatively, if you just have a button or two that isn't working, you can apply a few software tweaks to make up for them. If you have a case, you should take that off and give it a good cleaning, too—you'd be surprised what kind of gunk can build up in there. You don't need any kind of heavy-duty solvents to clean your phone, either—just a little bit of water and vinegar. If you really want, you could use a dab or two of rubbing alcohol too, but don't go overboard!

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You'll also want to make sure you're doing as much as you can to preserve your battery's health. That means performing shallow discharges, not leaving it fully charged, and discharging it about once a month—not to mention keeping it away from extreme heat. The better you treat your battery, the better life it'll have a few years down the road.

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We've covered many of these tweaks in one way or another over the years, but it never hurts to double-check your phone and see if it's running optimally—especially if you're feeling bored with an old device. For more ways to speed up and revive an old phone, check out our Spring Cleaning series for iOS
and Android
.